Washington, D.C. – Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, released the following statement regarding the implementation of Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program:

“I congratulate all those in Florida who have worked so hard to bring this prescription drug monitoring and tracking system to fruition. Standing up this database will save lives, improve public safety, and help ease the suffering too many Floridians have felt as a result of the prescription drug abuse epidemic. I commend the State of Florida for taking this vital step toward easing the severe public health and safety threat posed by prescription drug abuse in Florida. But this is just the first step. I now encourage Florida and every state in the Nation with a monitoring system to make their programs stronger and more efficient. Moving forward, I hope all states will work to create ‘2.0’ versions of these databases to allow information to be shared with neighboring states and encourage higher rates of participation, while continuing to ensure consumer privacy.”